Fun Games to Play Outside with 4 People

By: Naomi Vogel

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Playing outdoor games can be a lot of fun, but games like capture the flag, kick the can, kickball and softball require a large group of people. When getting together with a small group of four friends or playing in the backyard with your family of four, you might think there's not much to do. Outdoor games that require only four people include: ball in the air, various net games, hide and seek and ladder ball.

Ball in the Air

Get into two teams with two players on a team. Choose one person to start the game. She then takes the ball and hits it into the air. The others have to try and hit the ball with their hands, elbows, knees, feet and head, if the ball is soft. The goal is to keep the ball in the air for as long as possible. Each player can only hit the ball twice in a row. The team who gets the most hits while the ball is in the air are the winners.

Net Games

Classic net games are perfect for four players. Games such as tennis, volleyball and badminton can be divided into to two teams of two who work together to hit the ball or shuttle back and forth across the net.

Hide and Seek

This is another great game for four players. Two players can hide and two players can seek. This is also not just a kid game, according to Surf Net Parents. You can spice up the game by counting longer, finding difficult but safe locations to hide or playing at night and using flash lights.

Ladder Ball

Attach two balls to a small rope. These are called "bolos." Make six of these. One set of three should be red and one set of three should be blue, or any two different colors. Either purchase a ladder ball kit at a department store or use your own ladder. You can use your own three-rung ladder or you can create a "ladder" for the game using PVC pipes.

Separate into two teams. Teams take turns in rounds by alternating players. Team one chooses a player to go, then team two chooses a player to go. After both teams have played that is the end of the round. On the second round, the players who did not play last time are the ones to go.

On a turn a player must throw the bolo at the ladder and attempt to get it on one of the rungs. The top rung is worth three points, the middle rung is worth two points and the bottom rung is worth one point. Keep track of those points. Once a team has completed their turn, they leave their bolos where they are until the end of the round. If they score on the same rung as the other team scored then it cancels out half of the points the other team earned from that rung. The first team to reach 21 points wins.